A Christmas Carol
by Caffreys
Summary: A story based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" involving all of Schwarz. Ran X Ken
1. Ebenezer Scrooge

**A Christmas Carol  
**

**Disclaimer: ****  
**I don't own Weiss or any of the characters.  
The basic idea and story belongs to Charles Dickens' (07th February 1812 – 09th June 1870).

**Pairing:** Aya x Ken

**Rating:** M for last chapter

**A/N:** I've started the story last year, finished 4 of 5 chapters in German and posted them on another site. After the holidays I couldn't'  
summon the muse to continue, because the Christmas spirit was gone! :/ Now Christmas is coming again and I started to translate the story  
into English. But as always I've started too late and now I can only hope to finish the whole story until Christmas Eve.

Although I understand English really well, I've my problems with translating into English, because it's not my mother tongue. I speak German  
and we have tons of commas and complicated ways to describe something, which sounds good and right in German, but awful and wrong in  
English. And because I don't like to post a story in a different language which is full of mistakes and misunderstandings I searched for a beta and found Emu3.

I WANT TO THANK eMu3, WHO'S A REAALY BIG HELP FOR ME and I also want to apologize to her beforehand for the pressure I'm putting  
her under, because there are only two weeks left for four more chapters. I'm sorry eMu3! REALLY!

So I hope you enjoy this story!

**Warnings:** OOC – Romantik – SAP – lemon

**// ... //** Ran talking to others during his journey; Schuldig talking to others via telepathy or simply thinking to oneself. Confusing? Sorry.

**FB **= Feedback

**Chapter 1/5 - Ebenezer Scrooge**

"Hey Aya, how do you like this idea? It's almost Christmas! If we hang up a couple of branches here and…here…and maybe also here? Look,  
mistletoe!" Omi gestured to several spots around the store with branches in his hands. "I know none of us want the girls to pester us too  
much, but…what do you think? We could tie a red ribbon around us and make the perfect Christmas present for the girls!" Omi laughed and was all smiles.

He liked Christmas. For him it was a beautiful time. Everything seemed as though it was under a spell. It was a time which let him forget  
bitter reality. For these couple of days he was a normal person, a normal boy like everyone else and he wanted to make the most of it. At  
Christmas nothing reminded him of the reality of Weiß: Kritiker, Manx, Persia, Balinese, Bombay, Siberian or Abyssinian. Here were only Ken,  
Yoji, Aya and himself; four young men who deserved a normal life, more than anyone else. He wanted to give them a couple of beautiful days  
that would make them forget for a while who they were. He loved them, all of them. They were his family and he would protect them.

Yoji was enthusiastic about the idea. For this time he even forgot his own rule to never start something with a girl under the age of 18. But it  
was not all about sex. It was all about Christmas, the time in which people for once forgot how ill the world was, a time in which they forgot  
how bad their lives probably were and in which they – occasionally - thought about people who were by far worse off. The thought seemed a  
little cynical if one took into account that they were killers. Who could be worse off than people who killed for a living? Somehow it sounded  
like an excuse, a pathetic excuse. To kill even if it was in the name of the good was not something someone could be proud of, and any other  
fate seemed to be better than the one they'd been handed. But this wasn't quite true, because that was the life Yoji had chosen for himself.  
He could back out somehow, that he was sure about, but what would happen to those he could have protected if he would have stayed in  
Weiß? What would happen to the innocents of this world, those who would become victims if he would not call a halt to the evil? He would  
rather take on this burden and grant others a happy life.

Christmas was the time for him in which he thought of all those who had escaped the clutches of evil, whether they were aware of it or not.  
He liked Christmas. Christmas was a great invention.

The idea to be run down, hugged and kissed by the girls, however, gave Ken the creeps. He was aware that they wouldn't be real kisses, but  
nevertheless he didn't feel particularly comfortable with the idea. It was true that Christmas was steadily approaching, and he also liked  
Christmas with all its magic and charm, but in fact he only wanted to be hugged and kissed by one person. Only one, no one else! Ken would  
be appeased with a hug, a small kiss or maybe a "Thanks for being here!" He wanted nothing more. Well, this wish would never be fulfilled.  
He knew this person too well, and knew that nothing, nothing was more important to him than his sister and the money that could see to her  
recovery one day. Yes, he was talking about Aya. Ken liked Aya. He didn't only like him; he loved him from the bottom of his heart.

In the course of time his feelings for the other one had evolved into a one-sided friendship and then into an even more one-sided love with no  
way out. Sometimes this knowledge was so aching that he could hardly breathe. But anything was better than to lose him. It was better to  
accept him the way he was, to live alongside him but with the knowledge that they lived together in one house. It was better to spend their  
days together in the shop than to go separate ways.

His feelings were secret only for Aya, because Yoji and Omi knew about it. Ken was bad at lying, very bad. No wonder therefore that the other  
two found out about it eventually. Why Aya didn't yet know about his secret didn't surprise Ken. Aya saw nothing which didn't concern his  
person, his revenge or his sister. Ken could only wait and hope, although this hope faded daily, however not his love. Ken couldn't deny it. It  
fitted to the truth and this was his destiny. He could only love the redhead from afar, never more.

"I'm in, Omi! Sounds like a good idea!"

"Hn!" Aya turned away and hung his apron up. "Do what you want but don't expect me to take part in this humbug. If the brats buy  
something, fine. If they buy nothing, we'll throw them out and no mistletoe can stop me from doing so!" Aya didn't wait for any reaction. He  
opened the door to the living quarters, closed it after him with a loud jerk and stamped towards the stairs. The shift was over and done. Now  
he wanted to take a shower, change clothes, eat something and then visit Aya-chan, nothing else. Fuck Christmas! It was an frivolous day.  
Everybody suddenly got kind and nice. Everybody wanted to do something good for others and what was the rest of the year? It was only lies  
and deception! Christmas was a day like every other one, lousy. What did he care whether the stupid fan girls were pleased to be hugged and  
kissed or not? What did he care whether others were doing well or not? No one cared whether he was doing well. He couldn't remember if  
anyone - apart from himself – had ever cared how he fared, or his sister, or his parents.

That was not quite the truth. Ken really seemed to care. Ken had tried from start to approach him. However as a teammate or a friend Aya  
had no idea! But Aya wasn't willing to let anyone near. What did he care about friendship, the team, or even love? It was all unimportant and  
worthy of nothing if one didn't get what one wanted. And he wanted everything that had been taken away from him back! Where was this  
friendship and love when his parents were murdered? Where was all this when his sister was put in a coma by Takatori's car? Which  
friendship or love could have prevented this? Which friendship or love could have prevented him, Ran, from losing everything he knew and  
loved? He loved his parents, he loved his sister and he loved the money he earned and which ensured the medical care his sister needed. He  
couldn't handle more love, even if he wanted to. For him Aya-chan was the most important thing in his life with nothing to follow; even his  
own welfare was absolutely insignificant. Love! What did he need love for?

"Don't give me Christmas, love, peace and harmony ... you all don't have a clue what you're talking about!" Aya muttered and closed the bathroom door.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Status, Schuldig!"

"Everything's arranged. I just set off, so we'll see what comes out of it."

"Do it. I am confident that everything will go according to plan."

"Good to hear, Crawford!"

Schuldig slammed the door of the villa shut and headed toward his car. Though none of this really complied with his or with the others'  
attitude towards life, he looked forward to what would happen. Even Farfarello with his hatred for god showed something like humanity at  
such a time. At heart all of them were human, more or less, but in the course of time there wasn't much of that left. Each of them had his  
own horrible past that had turned them into what they were today. It didn't mean, though, that they didn't know what it meant to be  
'human'. Just because they didn't mind as much doing certain 'jobs' didn't mean they were completely cold-hearted. And Christmas brought  
them joy again and again. It was a joy which all of them enjoyed very much, albeit it was accompanied by a bitter sadness time and again.

Schuldig directed his car down the wet and seemingly sad streets of Tokyo while he recalled the last couple of days. It had already been some  
weeks since he had sensed a change in the otherwise extremely quiet presence. It was a presence he already watched closely for two  
years and never lost sight of, a presence which gurgled along like a calm little stream. One Night, barely six weeks ago, something had  
changed. Schuldig felt how the will to take part in this world again grow stronger. At first it had been weak, but in time it grew in strength  
more and more. This had been their chance and they had taken it.

**----------- FB -----------**

"Ok, Brad! The point is…she is willing to help us, though on one condition."

"That would be?"

"Her brother."

"What's about him? He's alive!"

"That's the point! He lives. But how? That's what she doesn't like."

"But we're not responsible for that. He has to blame himself for that. No one forced him to live that way, what does she expect from us? That  
we take him by the hand and lead him into a happy future?"

"We-e-e-ell…something like that."

"You're kidding me, Schuldig!"

"Never! Well…not this time. But I'm surprised that you didn't already know of this, Crawford."

"…I don't know everything." Crawford admitted shamefacedly. He knew much, he could predict much but he didn't know how people thought.  
This was Schuldig's profession. That was the reason he'd put him on the kid, hoping that her spirits would be revived one day and Schwarz  
would have an ace up their sleeves.

"What does she want?"

"Basically it's quite simple. For you at least, for my part I've already gotten a giant-size pack of aspirin."

"I am less than interested in your drug consumption, Schuldig!"

"Idiot!"

"What does she want, Schuldig?"

"She is poised to help us with the ritual. I will instruct her so that she'll direct her thoughts and flow of life in another direction, which will stop  
them in time. If she does we can outsmart SZ. The ritual fails, SZ is without a plan, we get into the action and can free ourselves and the girl  
from their talons. That's it. End. However, we must play a small "trick" on her brother."

"A trick?"

"Well, it's a trick for us, so I think we'll have our fun. She, however, has something else up her sleeve for him. She doesn't like how her  
brother has become."

"I don't dare to enquire at all, Schuldig! What shall we do?"

"Does the name Ebenezer Scrooge ring a bell?"

"Ebenezer Scrooge?"

"Yep!"

"_The_ Ebenezer Scrooge?"

"Yep, exact this one."

"Oh Lord! How much aspirin have you got?"

**----------- End FB -----------**

Schuldig parked his car on the parking lot of Magic Bus hospital and approached the entrance. At first it was also hard for him to accept the  
terms she had stated for helping Schwarz with the ritual, but what should he have done? They needed her. She knew what he was capable of,  
and in the time that had passed both he and she had learned quite a lot about the other. She knew what her brother did for her, as she had  
been aware of him for a fairly long time already. At the beginning she didn't quite understand it, didn't understand what he spoke about, but  
with time she could string together the jigsaw pieces. However the fact that she couldn't speak with him, that she couldn't show him that she  
heard him and that she still loved him, led to her searching for help elsewhere.

Schuldig had answered this quiet cry for help. How could he not? He listened to her silent spirit every single day until her desperate call  
jerked him out of his sleep. He had gone to her, he had spoken with her and had let her chuck many R-rated words at him, but he had made  
it. She believed him when he said that Schwarz wasn't to be blamed for her misery but Takatori and SZ. She believed that Schwarz also were  
only a means to an end and looked for a way out of their self-created hell, and each of their words was true. Schuldig could have made her  
believe everything, if he had wanted, but he hadn't. For a change of pace he had tried using the truth, because he knew if need be he could  
also force her into doing everything he wanted. But this wasn't necessary and this fulfilled him with satisfaction, self-affirmation and a new hope.

Schuldig opened the door to Aya's room and paused for a moment. If everything went as planned, everyone involved would be content.  
Everything would change, for everyone. Not only for Schwarz but for Weiß and for this girl who had overused her beauty sleep already for two  
years. Carefully he closed the door behind him, sat in the chair which stood at the wall and joined her at her bedside.

//Hello Sweetheart! Not much longer and we'll have made it, all of us. Well, us at least. I can't tell what will happen with your brother but I'll  
do my best. Nagi is ready and waiting to get this over with. His nagging is hard to endure. Sometimes I wonder how that 15-year old  
teenager is only that old. He's worse than Crawford. Hey Sweetheart, are you afraid?//

//Hello Schuldig! Don't be so mean to him. A leopard cannot change its spots and neither can he. You are important to him even if he cannot  
show it. But would he otherwise get into this game?//

//You're right. I think…that's how it is.//

//Hm…no!//

//No what?//

//I'm not afraid, not anymore. I know that everything will work out. It must turn out all right. It simply MUST. He has sacrificed so much for  
me. The least that I can give him is his own happiness. Schuldig?//

//Hm?//

//Will everything work out?//

//Ha ha, not so sure anymore? I don't' know, Sweetheart, I really don't know! Your brother is a very stubborn moron! We only can try it,  
that's all. What he makes out of this is up to him. We will do our share in any case.//

//Also Crawford?//

//Yes also Crawford. Even if he doesn't admit it, all of us are important to him and he would never put our only big chance on the line because  
of something like that. Farfarello is already looking forward to it. He is, I think, the only one. Nagi, as said, is ready. Whether he is looking  
forward to it or not is irrelevant, but he'll take part.//

//That's good to hear. When do we start?//

//Around midnight. The perfect time, isn't it?//

//Hee hee! Yes, that's perfectly true!//

//Not much longer. Let's go through the details once again!//

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

Aya got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Little water pearls dripped off his red hair and fell on his shoulders. He was  
still annoyed at his teammates. Why, he didn't exactly know. It was well due to the season, which turned everybody by 180 degrees, and  
the hypocrisy with which the people acted towards others. But not with him. He didn't take part in that, never. Not until he had killed  
Takatori, not until Aya opened her lovely eyes and took part in this bizarre life again. Until then he didn't care what others did with their lives  
or whether they were happy or not. He could basically do without everybody and everything. He behaved - against his conviction - quite  
friendly towards his roommates. After all it was not their fault. They hadn't killed his parents. They hadn't run over Aya-chan and they hadn't  
chosen their lives either. But none of them had it as hard as he did.

Aya dried his hair with a second towel, threw it into a corner and left the bathroom. He wanted to visit his sister and was single-minded in  
purpose. Jerkily he opened the cabinet door, fished some fresh clothes out and threw them on his bed. He was so lost in his thoughts that he  
didn't hear the knocking at his door. Only after the door opened carefully and a brown shock of hair appeared did he start. He had forgotten  
to lock the door, dammit!

"Aya? Hey, Aya Ma...oh shit! SHIT! Sorry!" Ken closed the door abruptly and leant against it, blushing terribly. "I'm so SO-O-O-ORRYYY, AYA!"  
Ken squeezed his eyelids shut and bit on his clenched fist "REALLY!" He had seen Aya naked. Naked! And – no surprise – he really liked what  
he had seen, damn well. Nevertheless this situation was embarrassing for him. More than embarrassing. "Uhm...Aya? Manx is already here!  
We're waiting downstairs for you, ok?"

Aya stood with wide eyes in his room and stared at the door. The towel which he had just removed from his waist lay carelessly at his feet.  
//Oh…my…God!// He hurried to the door, turned the key and leant his forehead against it. //SHIT!//

"Got it! Just one minute!"

"O-Ok! I'm…going a-ahead…then!"

"Yes! Yes, do that!"

Aya didn't actually need to look in the mirror to know what he looked like just at the moment. He did it nevertheless. There he stood. Butt  
naked and blushing like a girl. //Ken has seen me naked! KEN has seen me naked!// He didn't want to imagine which fantasies Ken would  
have from now on.

Oh yes! He knew about Ken's little secret. How couldn't he? He already knew it before Yoji or Omi did, but he had tried to ignore it as best he  
could. He dismissed it as only a phase. Ken would find out one day that he only imagined all this and that he didn't really like Aya more than  
he should. He mustn't. He couldn't. Aya couldn't return his feelings; he didn't have time for something like that. Love! Such nonsense. He  
should have gone with Yuriko to Australia if he sought love. That would have been the best.

//Damn! Damn! Damn!// "Damn you Ken!" Aya banged his fist against the wall. "And damn you Manx!" The visit with his sister was canceled.  
He had completely forgotten the meeting.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

//Ok, Sweetheart. Shall we begin?//

//Yes! Let's begin. Hey Schuldig?//

//Yeah?//

//Do you think it's ridiculous?//

//What?//

//This here! My condition!//

//……//

//I see!//

//No! No, I wouldn't say it that way. Not ridiculous! Strange. Peculiar. I think nobody would ever have come up with this idea even if he would  
have had the possibilities for it.//

//Well! I had a long time to think about this!//

//Yeah, that's probably true!//

//So … is it ok?//

//Yes! Yes, it's ok!//

//Ok! Let's begin!//

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Okay gentlemen, that's it for today!"

"That's it?"

"Yes, Abyssinian, that's it! You know what's what. What did you expect?"

"No idea! Anything but this bullshit, Manx! I didn't have to be present. I could have got everything reported from K…Yoji afterwards!"

"You know that these meetings, especially after such missions as you had yesterday, are binding!"

"Hn! Forget it!" Aya pushed off the wall against which he had leant the last two hours and aimed for the spiral staircase which would lead him upstairs.

"Hey Manx, are you coming on the 25th?"

"Of course Omi! After all, I promised you!"

"Great! You'll see, we'll have a lot of fun. Momoe-san will also be there. And her cat. And all of us of course." Omi grinned broadly when he  
thought of the upcoming Christmas festivities.

"Count me out!" Aya growled while he opened the door.

"Aya...?" Yoji wanted to say something else, but at the same moment the cellar door slammed shut and Aya was gone.

"Asshole!"

"Don't say that, Yoji-kun!"

"But it's true!" Yoji whirled around and glared at Omi, his fists clenched at his side.

"Maybe yes. But he doesn't' have it easy either. With his sister in a coma, who knows whether I would…"

"You would, Omi, believe me!" Yoji was furious. He had stand by and watched Aya's permanent foul mood far too long. He had enough.  
"There are people who've had it worse and who haven't become such arrogant assholes!"

"Hey Yoji! Leave him. Please!" Ken sighed in frustration. He had the strong urge to defend Aya, because Ken knew that deep inside Aya was a  
good person. He had to. After all he loved him. "He will catch himself one day and who knows perhaps we'll live to see a miracle and he'll be a  
different person at Christmas."

"I seriously wonder what you see in that guy, Ken! You hit a brick wall with him anyway! Don't you see it?"

"Yoji-kun! Don't!" Omi warned. He agreed with Yoji, but he also knew that this only made Ken more desperate than he already was.

"Forget him, you only bring misfortune on yourself!"

"I know Yoji." sighing Ken rose from the sofa and burrowed his hands in his pockets. "I know!"

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Damn you Manx!" Had he already mentioned this before? For this unnecessary meeting he had had to forget the possibility of seeing his  
sister. For what? Wasn't it enough that he fulfilled the orders, successfully at that? Why should he or Kritiker care what happened after that?  
The target was dead! All of Weiß were well and unharmed. That alone counted, nothing else. And Omi! This Christmas again! Couldn't they  
leave him alone with that? What did they want from him? Why was it so important to them?

Aya threw his clothes carelessly on the desk chair and flopped onto his bed. It was obviously too late now to still go to the Magic Bus hospital.  
He had never cared much for visiting hours, nevertheless ten o'clock in the evening was obviously too late. Irritated and tiredly he rubbed his  
eyes and rolled onto his back. He would be glad when Christmas was over. New Year's Eve he understood so it at least wasn't so very  
unpleasant for him, even if he didn't find any reason to celebrate it either. But at least this fuss would stop and perhaps Ken then would be  
different again, too. He'd observed how Ken had changed this time. He was even more sensitive than usual and one could see how his eyes  
took on a sad glimmer. At this point in time it was even harder for Aya to ignore him than usual.

Aya closed his eyes, covered himself up and drifted slowly into a restless sleep.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

//Ran…Ran wake up!//

Slowly Aya opened his eyes and looked around in his dark bedroom in confusion. What was this? Had he dreamt?

//Ran!//

Aya jumped up in his bed with a start and looked blindly for the switch of the bedside lamp. Tensely he stared into nothingness and  
concentrated on every single noise. He could have sworn he had heard his sister call for him. But this couldn't be. He was sure that the past  
day, not to mention the fact that he almost thought of his sister every minute lately, lead him to believe in her being there.  
Sighing, Aya ran his fingers through his hair and looked at his alarm clock. Midnight. "Witching hour!" With a laugh Aya flopped back onto his  
pillow and looked at the ceiling. "Oh Aya! I am sorry that I haven't come to pay you a visit today!" Aya sighed.

//Don't waste your breath!//

Aya started up again. But this time he reached instinctively for his katana which hung over his bed. This was not an illusion. No dream, he  
was awake. Wide-awake, he was sure. That was the voice of his sister.

"A-Aya?"

//Listen to me!//

"Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming! Is this really you?"

//Jeez! Yes, it's me! Really and truly!//

Ran swallowed hard and turned to look straight ahead, and his sister appeared in front of him. It was her, somehow. Her whole appearance  
seemed weak and transparent, but there she stood in front of his bed. She was in her hospital robe. Ran rubbed his eyes and swallowed hard.

"What ...?"

//Be quiet and listen to me. I'm tired of it!!//

"Tired? Of what?"

//You. Your life. Your attitude. I can't stand it any more! You miss the best in your life and for what?//

"For what? But I do all of this only for you!"

//I never asked you to do so. I have never asked you to give up your life. Your fortune! Love! I never wanted that. Listen to me! Within the  
next three nights three ghosts will haunt you. Don't ignore them as you ignore so much else. If I am important to you, then you'll go with them!//

Aya was sure that he was dreaming. It had to be that. This was simply too bizarre. His sister appeared to him in the middle of the night! The  
only time in two years and she was babbling something about ghosts? This had to be a dream.

//Ran! Listen to me! I'm not a dream! I will prove to you that I am not a dream!//

"Yeah! Of course!"

//Really! Within the next three nights, starting tomorrow, each time at midnight one of those ghosts will haunt you. Go with them and you will  
see things you have already forgotten and suppressed.//

"Ghosts? There are no such things as ghosts. I don't believe in such nonsense. You are only a dream, Aya. An illusion my subconscious plays  
for me. As much as I wished you were really here, it's only a dream!"

//We will see. We will see!//

Slowly Aya-chan faded in front of her brother's eyes until she was completely gone.

Ran, startled, sat up and pushed the radio alarm off the bedside table which landed with a loud thud on the ground. Cold sweat had formed  
on his forehead and he breathed heavily. "A dream! This was only a dream!" With wide eyes he looked around in the dark, recalled what he  
had just dreamt. He hadn't dreamt of his sister in this form for a long time. His dreams concerning Aya always revolved around one of two  
thing: the day on which she was put in a coma by Takatori and the moments in which he visited her at her hospital bed. Ran blamed the fact  
that he couldn't visit her as promised, because of the meeting with Manx, for this dream. "It was only a dream!" Wasn't it? Sighing Ran  
flopped back and laid one arm over his eyes. Christmas, ghosts, love...all nonsense.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * ***

"Don't you also think that Aya's been behaving more strangely today than usual?"

"How so, Ken?"

"I don't know! He's even more quiet than usual and he seems to have his mind permanently on something else."

"Maybe. I can't tell exactly. You're the expert in this field!"

"Expert, huh?" //If I were an expert in the field of Aya my life would probably not be so lousily complicated!// Ken had dreamt, once again,  
that Aya opened up to him and confessed that he had already cherished the same feelings for Ken for a long time. Then they had kissed long  
and passionately until a thud from Aya's room had woken Ken. Although he had worried briefly whether Aya was all right and what kind of  
noise that was, he had quickly decided to dismiss the thought. He wanted to continue the dream again where he was interrupted before.  
Therefore he turned on his side, pulled the blanket tightly over himself and fell asleep. However he hadn't dreamt of Aya further.

They were in the shop now and waited for the big afternoon rush of fan girls. Yoji and Omi had finished the last decoration work and three  
mistletoe ornaments now hung in the 'Koneko no Sumu Ie', among other things.

Ken stared at the cut flowers in front of him, lost in his thoughts. He should have been putting the flowers together in an arrangement. One  
day Aya-chan would wake up and everything would change, including Aya! That Ken was sure of. And then, then at last he would tell him. If  
Aya accepted him, Ken would be the happiest person in the world. And if not then he would give up, for good.

"Gotcha!" Yoji held Kens face in his hands and gave him a kiss on his lips. He grinned cheekily when he saw Ken's flabbergasted look and his very red face.

"Y-Yo…W-What …?"

Yoji pointed at the mistletoe over their heads which hung innocently from the ceiling.

"B-but this is m-meant for t-the girls only!"

Yoji still held Ken's face in his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "You know Ken you just looked like you needed that badly! You know I like  
you very much. You are my friend therefore let me tell you this: stop moping so much! One day he will see how lucky he would have been  
having you and until then...!" Yoji kissed Ken again, this time on his forehead.

"Damn, Kudoh! Don't keep Ken from his work. Better take care of your orders!" Aya hissed.

Again Yoji grinned cheekily when he winked at Ken. "Do I hear jealousy here?" he whispered, only audible for Ken, and got back to work again.

//I only wish you weren't hearing impaired, Yoji!// Ken sighed and touched the spot on which Yoji had kissed him.

Aya devoted himself to the cash register again. The good mood and perfect world that had reigned in the store for the last few days had  
made him ill. Yoji always had been quite permissive with showing physical proximity but did he have to kiss Ken? In just a couple of minutes  
school would end and he could allocate as many kisses as he wanted. That was just fine with Aya. He didn't have any ambitions to take part  
in this tradition and he would avoid coming to a halt under any mistletoe. Mistletoe, love...Yoji could kiss whomever he wanted as far as Aya  
was concerned. Even Ken. He didn't give a shit. It was all nonsense.

Aya slipped his shirt over his head and flopped onto the bed. God, he'd be glad when this Christmas was finally over. It's not just  
that everyone behaved like idiots; even he seemed to let himself be provoked to act like he otherwise would have never done. Aya screwed  
up his eyes and buried his face in the pillow. He had been occupied with the dream all day, and the mixed feelings it had set off. Omi and the  
others were in full Christmas mood and let themselves willingly be hugged by the fan girls, giving pecks on the cheek like good boys. Ken had  
voluntarily taken on Yoji's orders and stayed mostly at the working desk, but every time he went to the cupboard to fetch a new flower ribbon  
or an accessory or something else, one of the girls attacked him. They were waiting like vultures for this moment because Yoji had hung a  
mistletoe exactly above that spot.

After the tenth time Aya had snatched up a knife, gained access to the weed that had been dangling over a now terrified girl and cut it off. He  
ignored the horrified looks of the others. Ken's work quota was reduced by this nonsense in a measure which was not acceptable. That was all  
that counted for him. Work, money, his sister. Any more questions?

**End Chapter 1/5  
**

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I'm absolutely not against reviews, criticism, praises, complains, what ever … far from it, as long as they're constructive.  
But please review only if you want to! Don't feel forced!

Until the next chapter!  
Greets  
Caffreys


	2. The Ghost of Christmas Past

Here I'm again with the second chapter. It has taken some time since eMu3 and I had much to do. I fear that I'll not manage to upload all chapters  
until Christmas, but I'm working on it. I try to upload all of them until the end of December.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO EMU3 AGAIN!!!!!  
**  
Gianduja: Thanks! I'm glad you like this story so far. :) I hope you enjoy the rest of it too.

ShukketsuYume: Thanks to you too!! I think you're right! It's harder than I thought to translate a finished story into English, because then some parts  
doesn't sound that good anymore. So I changed them a little, but I want to keep the original story and therefore I refrain from changing it too much.

**// ... //** Ran talking to others during his journey; Schuldig talking to others via telepathy or simply thinking to oneself.

_**[[ … ]] **Nagi talking to Schuldig via telepathy during the journey  
_

**Chapter 2/5 - The Ghost of Christmas Past  
**  
//Hey Sweetheart. Here we go. The real fun starts now. Did you like it yesterday?//

//Hello Schuldig. Yes. Yes, I liked it. It was really strange to speak with my brother after such a long time and to see him, even if it wasn't really personal,  
but it was nice. Thank you Schuldig.//

//Don't thank me yet, Aya. That was only the beginning, and the easiest part. I brought more aspirin for what we're doing today.//

//Was it that bad?//

//Bad? No, that was nothing. It wasn't the first time. It gets worse when I plan to maintain such a connection longer, and both sides aren't excessively  
willing to take part in it.//

Basically the system was simple. Schuldig combined with the mind of person A and transferred their thoughts into the mind of person B. He led this person to  
believe in the appearance, movements and voice of person A while person A was speaking. That was what he did yesterday with Aya-chan and her brother.  
He was therefore no more than a connecting piece and amplifier, for lack of a better term.

It got more difficult, though, if a third person became involved. One then had to take great pains to keep a willing connection for all concerned. Tonight  
they'd planned to combine Aya-chan's, Nagi's and Ran's minds. While Nagi was talking to Ran, Schuldig searched Ran's memories for the information he  
and Nagi would need.**  
**  
//Ok Sweetheart, ready for round two?//

//Uh-huh!//

//Ok!// "Nagi, you're on!"

Nagi entered Aya-chan's hospital room. His expression showed that he still didn't enjoy the game, but Nagi rarely enjoyed anything. He stiffly sat down on the  
chair next to Schuldig. "I hope this whole nonsense really is worth the effort, Schuldig."

"Stop that bellyaching, midget! You'd better lie down!"

"L-Lie d-down? Where?"

Grinning, Schuldig blinked at Nagi and pointed at the vacant spot next to Aya-chan.

"Why?"

"It's easier for me and especially for you if you're relaxed. Look at Aya-chan; she's relaxed. So relax!"

"She is in a coma. Have you ever seen a coma patient standing?" Nagi rolled his eyes and crossed his legs.

"You are never one for a laugh, Nagi!"

"Oh how I've laughed!"

//Jeez! Can you see where I got my theory about him secretly being a very old man and not a 15 year old?//

//Let him sit if that's what he wants. I am really grateful that he's doing his part.//

//Well, as he likes. He'll see what he gets out of it.//

"Ok. Midnight. Let's begin!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

//Hey! Hey, Abyssinian!// Nagi was standing in Aya's room and stared down at him.

//HEY! SCHWARZ PRESENT!// Nagi put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disbelief.

Shocked, Aya blinked and sat up in his bed with a jerk. He only needed a fraction of a second to react. With a quick movement he grabbed his katana, drew  
it and rammed it into Nagi's body. Nagi touched the place where he had been run through by the sword. It was a strange feeling. Were he not only one of  
Schuldig's projections, he probably would be dead now. //Finished?// he asked when Aya tried to plunge his katana once more into Nagi's body.

"What…the..."

//Come on, get up. I don't have the whole night!//

"You're not real! But why?" Aya let his sword slide back into the sheath and sat down on the edge of his bed. Yesterday it had been Aya-chan, today Prodigy  
from Schwarz. It has to be the food, definitely. The last two times Yoji had cooked. "Damn Yoji and his culinary skills!"

//Please, Balinese's culinary skills can't be that bad. After all, all of you are still alive. However, I am not an upset stomach. Your sister has sent me.//

"My sister?"

//Yes, your sister. She warned you last night, didn't she?//

"Warned me? I dreamt of her, about her speaking of some ghosts who are going to haunt me."

//See! Now that that's resolved… get up. Come on.//

"Just a moment. Not so fast! Do you want to say that you're the FIRST ghost?"

//Looks that way! And now…COME ON!//

"If you're a ghost, in whom I theoretically don't believe …" Aya grinned crookedly and joy lit up in his eyes. "…then you're dead! Right? Ghosts are dead! And  
if you're dead then we have one problem less with Schwarz!"

//Nice! Downright nice. I am not dead, Abyssinian. Just dismiss the thought and stop grinning so stupidly.//

"You're not dead? Then what are you doing here in this form? So, if you aren't dead then you ARE an upset stomach!" Aya got up and went to the bathroom.

//Where do you think you're going?//

"I am looking for Alka-Seltzer. Then I'm going to lie down again and tomorrow I'll kill Yoji. Do you have a problem with that?"

_[[Hey Schuldig. The guy is damned stubborn. And I can't even thump him when I'm like this!]]_

_[[We know that he's stubborn. I'll sort this out, Nagi. Just a moment!]]_

_[[But hurry! I don't feel like doing this here the whole night. I'm about to get a headache!]]_

_[[If you'd have laid down, you wouldn't have gotten that particular problem already. Therefore stop whining and be ready!]]_

Schuldig had a hard time putting the Weiß-leader out of action. He shouldn't have woken up at all, but only thought that he was awake while he was  
instead sound asleep.

As though on auto-pilot, Aya came back from the bathroom, flopped on his bed and pulled the blanket over his head. Moments later he had drifted off  
into a deep sleep again.

//Hey, Abyssinian! We aren't finished yet!//

//Could you please leave me alone? Get lost!//

//No. No chance. So get up and get it over with.//

Aya struggled out of bed again and wondered how he could get rid of the pest Schwarz. Only when he turned around and wanted to take his katana  
once more did he see that he was actually asleep in bed.

//What's going on here?//

Nagi leaped at Aya's momentary inattention and took him by the collar of his pajamas.

//That's enough!//

The surroundings changed suddenly and instead of Aya's bedroom they stood now in the living room of his childhood home. The whole house smelled of  
Christmas cookies and was decorated kitschy. Aya remembered that he had always messed up the house with his sister. His parents didn't mind it, because  
they could see how thrilled both of them were.

//Where are we?// Aya gasped in surprise.

//Don't you recognize your old home anymore?//

//Sure, but that's simply not possible!// Everything seemed so real, as if he were actually there. Doubtfully, he went through the room and looked around.  
A Christmas tree, which was only half-decorated, stood in the corner.

//That's from long ago. That's a part of my past.//

//Yes. That's the general idea. I am the Ghost of Christmas Past!// Oh no! At these words everything in Nagi tightened to a knot. He had completely forgotten  
that Aya-chan had also some words to say about the whole thing.

_[[Dammit Schuldig! Could you see to it that your "Sweetheart" doesn't interfere?]]_

_[[If it's necessary, she will. That's the deal.]]_

_[[But this just wasn't necessary!]]_

//The Ghost of Christmas Past? Wait!// This seemed all too familiar to Aya. Somehow he knew all this. But of course! //Charles Dickens!//

//What?//

//Charles Dickens! A Christmas carol! This story is exactly like it. Three ghosts, Christmas … my mother used to read this story to us. And I read it to my sister  
when she had fallen into the coma. She loved this story.//

At that moment he heard loud tramping and children's voices. The younger version of him and his sister stormed into the living room.

"RAAAAN! Don't be so mean! You promised me last year that this time I could put the star on the top!"

"That was last year. I didn't know then that this Christmas you'd still be too small for it, Aya."

"I am NOT small!" Aya-chan stamped her feet and stormed from the living room. "MUM! MUUUUUMMM! Ran's being mean to me!"

"Girls!" The about eight year old version of Ran shook his head, pulled a chair to the Christmas tree and stepped up.

//You were a mean brother, who would have thought!//

//I wasn't mean. I was eight and wanted to put that stupid thing on the tree myself.// Aya rounded the sofa and went to the Christmas tree. //I would have  
gone to any length then.//

//And why?// Nagi watched the little Ran as he climbed on the chair.

//I don't know anymore.//

//But I can tell you why! Because your father always told you that whoever put the star on the top would have a wish come true!//

//Hn!// Thoughtfully, Aya stared at the decorated tree, his fingers stroking at a branch absent-mindedly. It felt so real.

//What was it that you wanted so much that you would break your promise to your sister?//

//It's no longer important!//

Aya grimaced as he watched the little Ran. He knew what would happen now, he still remembered it well. While Aya-chan still poured out her troubles to her  
mother in the kitchen, little Ran tried with all his might to perch the star on the top. Balancing on the tips of his toes he stretched as far as possible until the  
kitschy thing was fixed. Relieved and with a broad smile he examined his work, when the chair suddenly started to tip over. While his mother and Aya-chan  
were still on their way to the living room Ran fell. He hit the ground hard and banged his head on the edge of the table.

//Ow! That must have hurt!//

//It did!// Unconsciously, Aya rubbed the back of his head.

//Something broken?//

//Uh-huh! And a concussion.//

//Was it worth it?//

//At the time, yes.//

//His name was Shinji, right?//

//Yes. He was the son of a business partner of my father Aya-chan's best friend. We found out the day before that he would move away, to England. Aya-chan  
had cried all day and all night long. I knew that she would want a stupid pony if she put the star on the tree. She was simply still too small to think of it.  
That was why I did it. I didn't want her to lose her best friend.//

The surroundings changed again. Now they stood in Ran's room. His parents had brought him to the Magic Bus hospital where he'd been fixed up. His concussion  
was not that bad, so they were allowed to take him home the very next day. Little Ran sat in his bed. His right arm was encased in plaster and his head  
was adorned with white bandages. A loud bang at the door announced that Aya-chan was on her way. She awkwardly held a tray in one hand while she  
opened the door. With long strides she went to Ran's bed and put everything on his lap.

//Christmas cookies and milk! Nice! But wouldn't it have been better if she'd poured the milk in the glass instead of spilling it on the tray?//

//Jeez! She's a child and not a waitress!//

"Hey Ranny! Are you OK? Are you aching? I brought you cookies and milk! Look!" Aya-chan hopped on the bed next to her brother, took a cookie and chewed on it.

"Thanks! My head is aching but otherwise I'm fine. And don't call me Ranny!"

"That's what happens when you don't keep your promise. If I'd have put the star on the tree nothing would have happened to me, for sure!"

"You would've only wanted a pony again." The little Ran rolled his eyes and took a sip of his milk.

"What's so wrong about a pony?"

"Where would it live? In the house? And the garden isn't that big for a pony at all."

"You'll see! Next year I'll put the star on and then I'll have my pony!"

//And? Did she get her pony?//

//No.// Aya leaned on the wall and crossed his arms. He watched his sister as she glared at his younger self, her lips formed to a sweet little pout.

//Why not?//

//Sometimes wishes change! In the following year she wanted an elephant!//

//I see! And this fits better in the garden?// Nagi raised one eyebrow and tried to hide a smile.

//Idiot! It was a pink bicycle and a sponsorship for a baby elephant in the Tama-Zoo.//

"Has it been worthwhile for you at least?"

"I don't know yet!" Ran took the last sip of his milk and put the glass on the night stand.

"Hey, you know what? Shinji's daddy called. They aren't moving away now. Isn't that great?" Aya-chan grinned at her brother broadly and her eyes  
were sparkling.

"Yeah!" Ran's eyes widened ever so slightly as he listened to his sister. So, it had been worthwhile.

"Hey Ranny, may I draw something on your cast?"

"Yeah! Draw whatever you want!"

"A pony?"

"Even a pony!" Ran laughed when his sister started to jump for joy besides him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Aya and Nagi were in his parents' house again. The Christmas tree was completely decorated, the star was on the top, and the whole house smelled  
deliciously of food and Christmas. Aya was about to go into the kitchen, when his younger self came furiously running down the stairs. He threw open  
the door to his father's study and put his hands on the table. Aya remembered that day. At that time he was eleven and it had been him again who  
had put the star on the top the day before. It was the day of giving Christmas presents.

"Why doesn't it work?" Ran shouted at his father, his eyes full of tears.

"Ran, what's the matter? Why are you so excited?" His father got up from his armchair and laid his hands on Ran's shoulders.

"Dad, it didn't work!" Ran hung his head in frustration and balled his little hands into fists.

"What, Ran?"

"Shinji! He's moving away! Definitely! Why isn't it working this time?" Tears ran thickly down his face as he looked up at his father.

"Oh Ran. Come here!" His father sat down on the chair next to them and pulled Ran to him.

"My dear boy, sometimes you cannot change things. Unfortunately, Shinji's father doesn't have any choice. He must go away this time. It's for the best, believe me!"  
His father lovingly stroked Ran's hair.

"The best? THE BEST!? What's so good about it? Aya-chan won't stop crying. She doesn't want to leave her room anymore and she doesn't want  
to celebrate Christmas anymore either. She hasn't eaten since yesterday. Shinji is her best friend! Why isn't it working this time?"

"Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything. I am sorry! I tried."

"Tried?"

"Three years ago I could prevent it but this time we don't have any choice. When you're grown-up you must make decisions for your family. Unfortunately, we  
cannot change it."

"Why?"

"That… I will tell you one day when you are older."

"I don't want to get older if it means that I can't change anything!" Furiously, Ran evaded his father's arms and stormed out of the house. He didn't  
hear his father's calls as he ran into the snow-covered streets.

//You were always hot-headed.//

//Hn!//

//Why did you run away?//

//I don't know, I was furious; with my father, with Shinji's father, with the adults. Shinji was not only Aya's best friend but also her first love. You know... holding  
hands, eating ice cream together… something like that.//

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Heavy snowflakes fell from the sky and covered the town in a white veil. Aya and Nagi stood at the edge of a park and watched little Ran. He'd already  
been gone for a couple of hours and now it was getting dark. He wasn't wearing a jacket and shivered all over.

//What became of Shinji?//

//As we said, they moved away. To America this time. //

//And why?//

//I learned about it only years later. It was Takatori. Even at that time he had shown how little he thought of people, but all the more of power and  
wealth. Shinji's father didn't like the way Takatori "credited" his company's money. He figured some of Takatori's sinister machinations out. The first  
time it wasn't that much, therefore Takatori only wanted him out of the country. My father could take the heat off the situation and so they could remain  
in Japan. But this time Takatori was determined to not let Shinji and his family off that easily. So they had no other choice but to leave the country,  
as fast as possible.//

//If your father knew what kind of a man Takatori was, then why did he stay in his company?//

//It wasn't quit that simple to escape from it. You don't simply give Takatori your notice! You of all should know this best!//

Little Ran got up from the bench he was sitting on and went to the snow-covered bushes that were spaced along the walkway. He bent down and  
lifted up what looked like a small black ball of wool. It was a little puppy, which was on the point of freezing to death.

"Hang in there! I'll take you home, to Aya-chan. It's warm there, and there is something to eat for you too."

With shaky and trembling legs, Ran started on his way back home. His lips had already gone blue and his hair froze to icicles in the cold and snow.

//A puppy dog?// Nagi stared after the little boy. He was holding the puppy close to his chest, trying to warm it with what little heat Ran had left in his body.

//Mm hm.//

//Did you make it back by yourself or were you found?//

//I was found on my way home.// Aya sat down on the bench his younger self had been sitting on only moments before and held out his hand to catch  
some snowflakes.

//No broken arm? No concussion?// Nagi joined Aya and leant back with outstretched legs. He was starting to like this little journey and was curious to  
see what would happen next.

//No.//

//That's great.//

//A pneumonia.// Aya watched, fascinated, as the snowflakes melted in his hand. He could feel the little droplets there and the gentle breeze, which  
blew occasionally through his hair.

//Magic Bus?//

//Yeah, Magic Bus, room 303. I had do stay for a week, then I could go home.//

//And the dog?//

//At home, Aya-chan's room. He lived with us for seven years. Then he died with my parents in the explosion.// Aya stood up and looked down at himself.  
Despite the fact that he was barefoot and only dressed in his pajamas he wasn't cold.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

//Can you please tell me what we're doing this for?//

//To refresh your memory a little.// Nagi uttered in a monotone and tramped through the deep snow.

//Refresh! Huh! And for what? Some things are quite good to be forgotten and some others can't be changed. So who cares? That's all past!//

//But you'll remember that most of the time things were good. A few highs here, a few lows there… everyone has some of them. But mostly you had a  
great time, didn't you?//

//Hn!// Aya rolled his eyes and followed Nagi, who held a door open for him to enter.

They were now in a small cabin, and a fire crackled in the fireplace.

//Christmas again!//

//What did you think?//

In one corner stood a small decorated tree and Aya-chan was about to put the star on the top. She was already thirteen and had matured into a little lady.  
Loud trampling raged through the house as a couple of teenagers rushed down the stairs.

"Dammit, Aya! Stop them!" Toyo, Aya-chan's best friend, stormed after the boys, followed closely by Nori and Haruko.

"What's the matter?" Aya-chan whirled around.

"They have all our underwear!" It was Nori who shouted from the top of her lungs. In her rush she tripped over her own feet, but caught herself just in  
time to not fall down the stairs.

"WHAT? RAN! Kira! Stop this instant!" Aya-chan laid the star she was about to put on the top carefully on the table and stormed after the boys too.

//How naughty!//

//Hn!//

Kira ran past a stunned Aya-chan, followed closely by Ran, Kaito and Shin. They had grabbed the girls' underwear and planned now their own Christmas  
tree in front of the cabin.

Aya could still remember this holiday. His parents agreed that he and his sister could spend Christmas with a couple of friends in a cabin, whereas they  
themselves had to accompany Takatori on a 3-day journey.

//A little bit irresponsible, don't you think?// Nagi leaned next to the window, his arms folded across his chest.

//Not necessarily. I was fifteen, Kira already sixteen. Our parents had agreed. What would we have really get up to?//

//Pinching the underwear of the girls?//

//That was Kira's idea!// Now it was Aya's turn to fold his arms across his chest. He glared at Nagi, but inwardly he was amused. He had really forgotten  
about their little trip to the cabin.

//And you only ran after him to get them back for the girls!// Nagi couldn't help but tease. He walked out of the cabin and motioned for Aya to follow him.

//Well… not exactly!// Aya smiled while he watched the scene before him.

In front of the cabin, Kira and Ran helped the others, who sat on their shoulders to hang the stolen goods on a tree that was growing next to the cabin.  
With a yell the boys fell into the snow, while the girls sounded the attack and dragged both Kira and Ran together to the ground.

//We stayed three days. We really made life difficult for the girls at the time.//

//More than the underwear?//

//More than the underwear. But we also got our comeuppance!// Aya laughed softly when he thought of that. Nagi had been right. That was a memory  
worth recalling.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hey Kira! What's up? Can't you sleep either?" Kira was sitting outside on a big tree stump and playing with his lighter when Ran joined him.

"Nah! Too much spiked punch I think!"

"You haven't drunk that much!" Ran laughed and flopped down next to Kira.

"Maybe! Hey… what about Nori?"

"Jeez, don't remind me!" Ran grimaced. He tucked up his legs and leaned his arms on them.

"That bad?"

"She kisses like a fish!"

"And how exactly does a fish kiss?" Amused Kira raised one eyebrow and watched Ran flinch in disgust.

"Try it out! Then you'll know!"

"Thanks, I'll do without!"

//Gained some first experiences?//

//You could put it that way.//

For a while Kira and Ran sat silently side by side and looked at the stars. It was a clear and cold night. Ran watched Kira and when he turned to him  
it was clear for both of them that they were about to do something that neither of them knew what it would lead to. For quite a while they looked each  
other in the eye and neither of them spoke. But then their lips met slowly. At first the kiss was shy and restrained, but with the time they dared more.  
Their tongues met before their lips did, dancing in the cold winter night and they clung to each other in heated passion.

//With Kira!// Nagi gasped in surprise.

//Yeah. He was my best friend but I always thought he was very attractive. At the time I didn't know what it was.// Thoughtfully and with squinting eyes  
he watched Kira and himself. Was it only his imagination, or did Kira's hair color just slightly change?

//Were you together then?//

//No. It was only for that evening and we remained best friends, but since then I realized that I wasn't interested in girls.// Aya still watched them, but  
something was wrong. Had Kira really looked that way?

//This Kira seems somehow familiar to me!// Nagi cocked his head to one side.

//… // What the…

//Who does he remind me of? Hm…//

//… // Aya stared in disbelief at the person his younger self was kissing. This was definitely not Kira anymore.

//Just who?//

//Hida…//

//Ah yes, the wildcat as Schuldig loves to call him.// Nagi interrupted and watched Aya's stunned expression. For the first time since the beginning of this  
little journey Nagi smiled: it was a wicked smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Aya started again and breathed heavily. His hair stuck to his forehead and the rest of his body was also lightly covered with sweat. Confused, he looked  
at his alarm clock. It was two o'clock in the morning. "What a crazy dream!" Aya let his gaze wander through the room and looked into every corner, but  
the Schwarz was nowhere to be seen. So Prodigy was also only a dream, like his sister. Aya flopped back onto his bed again and stared at the ceiling.  
His room was only weakly illuminated by the moonlight and showed very little of his furniture. Slowly the images of Aya's dream came back.

He wondered why he had dreamt of his childhood after such a long time. He could remember so much. There wasn't only the things with Shinji or Kira. He also  
had dreamt of his grandparents. He and his sister had often lain in the deep snow, wrapped up warmly and armed with a sleeping-bag and stared into the sky.  
They had been waiting for the reindeer sleigh of Santa Claus and when they had fallen asleep with exhaustion their grandparents had carried them back into  
the house in front of the fireplace, where they had continued to sleep up to the next morning. And then of course Santa Claus had already been there; missed him again.

Aya felt torn by the dream as well as the memories. He tiredly rubbed his eyes and drifted back into a sleep that was dreamless this time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

//How did you like it, Sweetheart?//

//It was beautiful and funny and very interesting! I didn't know at all what had been going on between Ran and Kira at that time.//

//Are you disappointed now?//

//No! Not at all! I already knew that Ran was into the same sex, but I didn't know about Kira. But I'm sure that Kira looked different.//

//Oh that, I've helped with Ran's memories and manipulated them a little. For that I reverted to a dream he had pretty recently.//

//He dreamt of HIM?//

//O-oh yeah! And how!//

//Really? What…//

//We don't want to go into details, do we?//

"Hey Schuldig, I'm talking to you!"

"Oh, what did you say, Nagi?"

"I asked whether we're finished now and can we go!"

"Just a moment."

//Ok Sweetheart, that's it for today. I'll come again tomorrow. We've much to do!//

//Ok! Would you please thank Nagi for me?//

//I will! See you tomorrow.//

"Hey Nagi, Aya-chan says thank you!"

"I hope so! I've got a damn headache, I've had a mental chit-chat with Abyssinian, one of Weiß, and I've seen things that will make it more difficult for me  
in the future to want to kill him!"

"..."

"Hn, tell her she's welcome and now let's go!"

**End chapter 2/5  
**  
I hope you liked the second chapter and would be glad, if you leave a review! Thanks for reading!

Greets  
Caffreys


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